Friday, April 18, 2008

DTV coupons from FCC

Remember the FCC? Yeah the same agency that ran the auction which had the outcome of killing the Airfone air-to-ground internet project. Well they do much more than auctions. One program they have going is giving away coupons to US families.

Now some of us may have new DTV ready TV's but I don't. In fact this is somewhat confusing because a HDTV might NOT have a DTV tuner. If you bought the TV after May 25, 2007 then you should be good because the FCC required all TV sets after that date to be equipped with this type of tuner. Also, if you have satellite or cable service then you don't need to worry - but I recommend you get one anyway - see reasoning below.

The reason for the coupon is to help consumers make the transition to digital TV. Each household can get two coupons usable for the purchase of two converters (total value $80).

I just received my coupons this week and today I bought one converter. The coupons come in a "credit card" format (magnetic stripe, hologram logo, raised letters and even an expiration date).

So I went to a local Radio Shack and bought a Digital Stream unit (over $60 with tax but the coupon brings it down to a $20+ purchase). There are some units on the internet for under $50 but you need to consider shipping. Also, it wasn't clear that all the online shops handled the coupon. Had I gone the online route then this post would have needed to wait until the delivery. Maybe with the other coupon I'll try the online shops.

I hooked the unit up to a small set in the bedroom. The setup just uses plain rabbit ears (I guess there might be some younger readers who never heard of rabbit ears - go ask someone over 50).

The result - good - I probably need a newer rabbit. The setup was very easy. The unit has a good built-in menu. The features add new life to the old TV. The Chicago PBS station 11 gave me four channels, that all came in good. The unit's remote has a button that displays the signal strength. A signal even less than excellent shows a great picture.

Why you should get the coupon and a converter box:

The government is giving you $80 - come on help the economy already!

Are all your TV's DTV ready? Do you watch an older one in the garage or kitchen?

There are digital channels being broadcast now that not available on cable.

Keep the option of dropping cable someday open.

The DTV broadcast has an on-screen program guide built-in. Gives new life to an old TV set.

about lisleman

I was not born lisleman. I moved there. I was born a baby. I started breathing air more than sixty years ago. Oh if you happen to read a news report about
"Lisle man" please notice my moniker is one word. I'm not responsible
for my crazy neighbors.

Sha la la lala live for today.

One of the best things of my life
(everyone's I think) is learning. I like science especially physics.
Don't ever stop asking why because there is an endless amount to
learn. Two of our daughters became teachers. This and our grandkids keeps the learning idea alive for me.

I've accepted that we all have different talents. Most of time this works well for everyone unless your talent is illegal.

Blog on and don't lose that linky feeling.

Does anyone read this far down on these things? I should hide a secret password to a bank account with some money in it. Anyone have a spare bank account with a little cash?